


Ten

by Skaene



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaene/pseuds/Skaene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The iPod Shuffle Challenge I did for Castle several years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ten

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick FYI that I think I did these early in the series, second season, it looks; which may explain why their interaction isn't quite what it is now.

The Internet is For Porn- Avenue Q 

Kate narrowed her eyes at the sight of Ryan, Esposito and Castle all crowded around Ryan's computer. The were speaking in low voices, and Ryan was eagerly pointing out something with one hand as his other typed a series of keys. Within seconds, Esposito let out a barely constrained whoop and Castle just shifted back on his heels and smirked.  
She knew, logically, that they had been going over video footage from the club murder. The guest of honor had been a popular figure and the next day there was no shortage of movies on YouTube, courtesy of the party goers.  
However, the comment from months earlier about guys huddled around a computer and the involvement of porn is still forefront in her mind.

 

Run-George Strait

Kate stared out the window of her apartment as the rain fell. Now that she was alone, she could admit it to herself. She missed Richard Castle. She missed his input on her cases, his wit, his ability to think outside the box and bring a completely new perspective to, well...everything. Most of all she just missed him. She missed the way he made her feel, his comments, his expressions; with just a glance, it was like he could see into her very soul.  
Rick had been out of town for the past week, and it would still be another week until he returned to New York. The first Nikki Heat novel had hit the shelves about a month ago, and with its success came the book tours. She had forgotten that even though he spent an inordinate amount of time hanging around, he DID have his own actual job. This tour took him down the East Coast, and there would be more. Next month, he would start in LA and make his way back east. It wasn't something Kate was looking forward to.  
She looked over to the small island bar in her kitchen, where she had brought up his tour schedule on her laptop. He was in Savannah now, there was a signing that afternoon. A quick glance at the clock told her that it would have ended about an hour ago. Sighing, she collapsed on her couch and dropped her head back against it.  
Only moments later, she was startled out of her reverie when her cell shrilled from the coffee table. Reaching for it, her eyebrows popped up when Castle's name showed up on the display. She didn't hesitate when she answered. 

 

Big Star- Kenny Chesney

“Kate Beckett?” the woman asked, narrowing her eyes at the detective that had come to see her about a neighbors death. “I know that name..” she said. Kate bit back a sigh. Castle had warned her about this. So had Martha, and Captain Montgomery had expressed his concerns as well. Ryan and Esposito had gotten more than their fair share of laughs out of it.  
Taking a breath, she once again started to ask the woman about her friend. They had actually gotten somewhere when all of a sudden the woman's eyes widened. Kate, thinking she had remembered something important, asked her what was wrong.  
“Ohmigod...you’re THE Kate Beckett! The one who snagged Richard Castle out from under everyone!” She quickly went to a bookshelf and returned with the last two Derrek Storm novels. “Between now and when you come back here, you know, to see if I remember anything...do you think you could get these signed for me?”  
Kate had to keep herself from snapping at the woman, but she silently vowed no such restraint on a snickering Ryan behind her. 

Stop and Stare- One Republic

As big as New York City was, Rick really hadn't expected to see Kate out and about town after she had thrown him out on his ass when he had dug up her mothers case, much less more than once. But he did. He'd seen her three times with each of her partners on one case or another, and another time leaving a store with a couple of bags.  
He didn't like what he saw.  
Already slim to begin with, she really didn't need to lose the weight, but from the way her clothes hung on her...they were almost baggy. One time he had been close enough to see the tired, dark circles under her eyes. While that worried him, it was nothing compared to what he saw in her eyes.  
Or rather, what he didn't see. They were dull. So dull. There was no spark there. Nothing. Her once expressive, bright eyes now seemed like empty pits.  
He had to fix this. 

 

A Man Holding On – Ty Herdenon

He didn't know if he could get through to the end of this.  
Hell, he didn't even know if he could make it down the aisle without breaking down, much less the end of the ceremony and the reception.  
Rick turned towards the entryway as the music began to play, and watched as his youngest daughter started down the aisle with her basket of flowers. Unbidden, his mind fast forward twenty-odd years to a much older Jody Castle on her own wedding day. He shook his head, trying to clear the image. It was too much, too fast.  
A soft touch on his shoulder drew his attention, and he looked over to Alexis. An image to behold, she was one of the beautiful things he had ever seen.  
“You ready for this?” She asked softly. The last bridesmaid had begun her march.  
“No.” He answered honestly.

 

If you See Him/If You See Her – Reba McEntire; Brooks & Dunn

Javier Esposito groaned as he fell onto his couch and took a long swig from his beer bottle. He was bone tired, and not just from chasing a former track star down 4 blocks of New York City.  
For the past few weeks he and Ryan had been hopelessly caught between Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. It was starting to take its toll. When Castle found new information on Johanna Beckett's case, all hell broke loose. He had watched helplessly as Kate fell deeper into a darkness where no one could reach her, and wondered if she'd ever be whole again. He listened as Castle sulked and brooded in an ultimate internal conflict. Kate deserved...needed to know what had happened to her mother. At what cost, though? Was it truly worth what Kate was becoming?  
Finishing off his first beer and heading back to the kitchen for another (why hadn't he just gotten two in the first place?), he thought about locking the two up together. He wondered if anyone actually knew where the key was to that old back closet at the precinct. 

 

 

Beautiful Dreamer – Floyd Cramer

The room was silent, save for the small pink music box on the dresser as it softly chimed out its lullaby to lull the little girl to sleep. A present from her sister, little Jody adored it. Alexis had given the youngster the small box, and carefully shown her how to twist the knob on the bottom so that music would play.  
After that, Jody absolutely HAD to have that in order to sleep. She also managed to play it any time she could get away with it. Rick had mocked complained to Alexis when she had dug out old toy and presented it to her sibling. Hadn't he gotten enough of that thing when she herself had been young? It had taken years for that particular ear-worm to go away.  
Nevertheless, when Rick passed the child's room at about the time the box had winded itself down, he stepped in and gave it a few more twists, then leaned over to kiss the top of her head before continuing on his way. 

 

Thank You For the Music – ABBA

Rick and Kate had gone on a rare night out, so it was just Martha and her grandsons for the evening. Vincent had managed to wear himself out earlier, and she had just put him to sleep. Returning down the hall, she cocked her head as she heard the sound of her piano from downstairs. Picking up her pace, she went down to see what John had gotten himself into.  
As she turned the corner, she stopped, and smiled softly. The three year old had pulled himself up on the piano bench and was softly tapping the keys, occasionally giggling at certain notes. As he began to enjoy himself more, his 'playing' became slightly more enthusiastic. Realizing what was about to happen, Martha pulled herself from her musings and went to sit beside him before he could bang on the keys and create a noise that could wake his brother.  
“Like that, do you?” She asked. John looked up at her and nodded his head, hair falling in his eyes. Smiling, Martha played a basic C scale, watching him as he watched her hand. When she finished, she was surprised when he reached for the keys and made an admirable attempt to copy what she did. He frowned when he couldn't get the crossover, but just moved his whole hand to finish off the scale. John's grin was wide when he looked back up to his grandmother.  
Delighted at this new discovery, Martha pulled her grandson into her lap, taking his hands in hers and proceeded to teach him the first section of 'Chop Sticks'

 

A Different Light – Doug Stone

 

Rick blinked as he watched Kate saunter out of the elevator towards the front door of the penthouse apartment. While he had long since grown used to this change in personality, sometimes it still took him by surprise when she switched so damn fast.  
That's why she continued to use 'Beckett' while at work, he mused. Barely two hours ago, he watched from the other side of the interrogation mirror as she railed into two witnesses whose negligence had caused a young man’s death. She laid fact after fact in front of them, until they were a quivering mass of remorse and tears. Her eyes had been hard when, shortly after she and her partners led a team to take down the main perpetrator of another case they had been working on.  
And yet now, there was little trace of that woman in the one who was waiting on him down the hall. This woman was relaxed with a glint and light in her eyes that was rarely seen by anyone else. This was Kate Castle. His wife, his lover, the mother of his son, his best friend. He remembers clearly the first time she finally let her barriers fall completely in his presence, and he was blown away by what he found. Even now, the transformation still amazed him sometime. It wasn't that he loved one more or less than the other, oh no. Both of these two together made up the woman that Rick Castle loved with a fierce intensity he hadn't realized possible.  
“Hey, Kitten, you coming or not?” her voice snapped him from his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes at the mostly despised nickname.  
“Right behind you, Katie.” 

 

How Could This Happen to Me?- Simple Plan

Kate stared out the windows of the ER waiting room, eyes unseeing, as she replayed the events from hours earlier over and over in her head. What the HELL had happened? Castle had tagged along on a bust, and unlike other times he had stayed in the car with minimal protest, choosing instead to busy himself with fixing the car stereo clock, as no one had bothered to change it when daylight savings ended a couple weeks back.  
Confident that he wasn't going anywhere, she proceeded to do her job. But the suspect ran, slipping through an exit that she nor her partners knew about and took off through the alley. Spotting a man alone in a vehicle, not paying the least bit attention to his surroundings, the perp jerked open the door of the sedan and bodily dragged a very startled Richard Castle out and demanded the keys. When he figured out that Castle didn't have them, he growled in frustration and put two bullets in his chest before taking off again. His delay, fortunately, had cost him precious time that allowed Ryan to catch up to him and take him out. From that point on, though, was very much a blur as Kate recalled finding Castle on the ground bleeding, trying desperately to hang on to what shred of life he had left.  
Kate's grip tightened on a chair as she recalled the other times. How many times had he ignored her orders, tagging along right behind her only to come out of any number of close calls unscathed?  
Twice Rick had stayed put like he was supposed to. Once it almost cost him, and once it may still. She didn't know what to do.  
Kate startled violently when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning around, all her efforts to keep her tears at bay flew out the window when she came face to face with Castle's mother and daughter.


End file.
